


You're Still The One

by EmberCartwright



Series: Tyzula Things [35]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Azula (Avatar) Redemption, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fire Nation Royal Family, Post canon, Pre-Canon, Tiny bit of Angst, True Love, lifetime of love, tyzula - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 22:00:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27793474
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmberCartwright/pseuds/EmberCartwright
Summary: Songfic: You're Still the One by Shania Twain.Life is hard but (sometimes) it gets a little easier when you're with the person you know you're meant to be with.
Relationships: Azula/Ty Lee (Avatar), Mai/Zuko (very very brief)
Series: Tyzula Things [35]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2019697
Comments: 4
Kudos: 72





	You're Still The One

**Author's Note:**

> When I first heard this song I swear I'd never heard a more Tyzula song in my life. I made it a full life, semi Azula redemption fic (she does the whole redemption thing but its not rly the focus) to go along with some of the lyrics. It's one cohesive narrative but the timeline is chopped up and rearranged. Enjoy!

**When I first saw you, I saw love**

A playground can seem like a very large place to five year old girls. The very first recess on the very first day of school Azula and Mai stood in the shade by the building as children ran around them. 

Reclining against the wall of the school they watched as kids pushed each other on swings, threw themselves down slides and swung on the monkey bars. 

“My father says that games and fun are a waste of time and school is for learning how to serve your nation not for wasting time on playgrounds,” Azula said to Mai.

“My father says that I have to do whatever you do,” Mai replied in a deadpan tone. 

Azula chuckled which caused Mai to smile. Ever since both girls had been in diapers, they had been set up on playdates and sent places together. Now they were roommates at the Academy for Girls. 

Even though Mai had originally been forced to befriend the princess, over the years they had grown to like each other quite a bit. 

Azula picked at her nails which she had forced the palace servants to file into small claws before she went to school. Mai took a shuriken out of her sleeve and spun it. 

No one came near them. Even on the first day the princess and her brooding, quiet friend were intimidating and scary. 

Then, something crashed into Azula. She looked up from her nails, startled. 

A small girl lay at her feet, looking up at her. She had a long braid, bright pink clothes, and deep grey eyes. Her face was round and symmetrical and she had bangs which swept perfectly over her forehead. 

Azula felt a small pang in her stomach of a feeling that she couldn’t recognize. 

“Stand up,” she demanded of the girl at her feet. Azula expected her to be apologetic and stammering and weak, as most people were when she spoke to them. Yet, this girl wasn’t like that at all. She seemed entranced, starting directly into Azula’s eyes as if she was seeing behind them. 

For the first time, Azula was made uncomfortable. 

The girl rose gracefully with a twirl and bowed. 

“You’re very pretty, princess,” she said to Azula. At least she knew who she was speaking to.

“I know,” Azula replied. The girl smiled at her mischievously. 

“Aren’t you going to say it back,” she asked with a giggle. Mai snorted. Azula felt her face get hot.

“You have some nerve talking to me like that,” she said angrily. 

“I saw you looking at me,” she said with a shrug, and she flipped her leg up so that it went behind her head. She pulled on it, letting it cross over the centerline of her body. 

Azula was amazed at the feat of acrobatics that the girl was making look so easy but she didn’t say that.

“You’re extremely insolent, you know that,” she said instead. 

“I don’t know what that word means, but if you say so princess,” the girl said, smiling at her. 

“What’s your name,” Azula demanded. She was interested in the girl. In many ways she was different from anyone Azula had ever met. Her attitude and her confidence were radiant. Her physical abilities seemed to be extraordinary, and Azula wanted to know what else she could do. Also, Azula wanted to know what the feeling was that was growing in the pit of her stomach. The feeling that this girl made her feel.

“Ty Lee.”

“You’re going to be our friend, Ty Lee,” Azula said, and it wasn’t a question. 

“Okay! Do you guys want to do cartwheels with me?”

“Playing is a waste of our time, it will not help us be better soldiers,” Azula began to lecture Ty Lee, as she often lectured Mai. 

“Soldiers need to be quick, flexible, and be able to think outside the box. I think that everyone could use a little gymnastics,” Ty Lee said, before folding into a backbend. 

Azula pondered for a moment, ignoring the flutter she suddenly felt in her chest. 

“Okay,” she said, “show me how to do what you just did.” 

**And the first time you touched me, I felt love**

“Wait ‘Zula, you have an eyelash,” Ty Lee grabbed the princess by the wrist and spun her around. Leaning forward really close to Azula’s face, she grabbed the eyelash lightly off of her cheek and held it up to their eye level. 

Azula flushed and tried to suppress the color rushing to her cheeks. Her heart pounded in her ears as her best friend’s fingers brushed against the soft skin of her face.  
Even though it had been seven years since they met, Azula still got that feeling around Ty Lee. A knot in her stomach and a flutter in her chest. It was only getting stronger and more concerning as they got older. 

Azula had looked for medical explanations in books and she had consulted several Fire Sages, but no one could give her a satisfactory answer. They couldn’t explain why she melted at the girl’s touch. Nor could they tell her why she had sudden urges to kiss her friend at the most inappropriate times. 

Like right now, when Ty Lee stopped a sparring session to pluck an eyebrow off of her face. Her lips were so close to Azula’s that she could almost taste them. They looked soft and pink and perfect. 

“Hey ‘Zula,” said Ty Lee, interrupting Azula’s thoughts. 

“What,” she snapped.

“You need to make a wish and blow it off of my finger,” Ty Lee explained. 

“Oh right,” Azula murmured. 

Ty Lee held her finger up to Azula’s face, with the eyelash perched on it. Azula felt her heart race and she was sure Ty Lee could hear her body beat in rhythm with it, because she was so close. 

This was her best friend. Maybe this was how everyone felt about their best friend, Azula thought. But she knew that was not true because she had never felt an impulse to kiss Mai. 

The only things that she knew about kissing came from Ty Lee herself. At best it involved gross, sticky boys and wet, slimy tongues. At worst, it made her feel inexplicable anger when she thought about those boys and their tongues coming near her friend. 

Azula took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and thought of a wish. 

But, instead of blowing out she leaned forward and pressed her lips against Ty Lee’s. 

The acrobat stiffened momentarily and widened her eyes, causing Azula to snap back. Her face was redder than her armor. 

Then Ty Lee smiled really wide and grabbed Azula’s hands, dropping the eyelash. Pulling her back, Ty Lee kissed Azula and the princess kissed her back. 

The kiss was perfect. Warmth spread from Azula’s face through her whole body. But it wasn’t the warmth of shame or humiliation, this was the warmth of happiness and comfort. She knew that this was the right thing to be doing. 

She brought her fingers into Ty Lee’s hair and kissed her more deeply. 

**And after all this time, You're still the one I love**

“Ty Lee, could that possibly be you?” 

Azula’s words were not an accurate representation of how she felt seeing the acrobat for the first time in six months. As she watched the girl flip right side up and bow in greeting, she felt a longing to touch her that was more powerful than she knew was possible. 

“Azula!” Ty Lee responded, sending a rush of feelings through the princesses body. When the girl came over to hug her, Azula inhaled deeply remembering the smell of her hair, the feel of hre body in her arms, and the overall comforting energy of the smaller girl.

Azula pulled away begrudgingly and held onto Ty Lee’s hands, rubbing her thumbs over them gently. She could barely concentrate as they ran through the conversation she had scripted and sent to Ty Lee via messenger hawk, to precede her arrival. It was of the utmost importance to maintain the guise of reunited friends. 

After she walked away, Azula tried not to start running as she doubled back to Ty Lee’s tent. 

When she got there the acrobat threw herself into the princesses arms and wrapped her legs around her waist. They crushed their lips together in a passionate kiss, twining their tongues and sucking on each other's lips. 

Azula, still carrying Ty Lee, walked over to the bed and threw her onto it. 

“I missed you,” Azula purred as she tore at Ty Lee’s clothes. The acrobat just moaned and helped her with her clothes. “I’ll take that to mean that you missed me too.” 

After a few hours and a passionate tryst, Azula and Ty Lee lay naked, tangled together in her bed. Ty Lee had her head resting on Azula’s chest and Azula was stroking the acrobat’s loose hair. 

“When I was alone, it was like I wasn’t even living,” Ty Lee whispered, tearing up. “I’m so glad you came to get me.”

Azula kissed her forehead and wiped a tear away with her long pointed nail.

“Of course I came back for you Ty. There’s no one more qualified to help me hunt Zuzu and my uncle. There’s no one I trust more.”

“I thought your dad would make you forget me while he trained you, but it looks like you’ve just gotten soft,” Ty Lee said with a giggle.

“I am not soft,” Azula scoffed indignantly. Her thoughts were less defensive. I could never forget you, she thought. I love you, she thought. But she couldn’t say it.

“I love you so much,” Ty Lee said for the both of them. She felt Azula squeeze her tightly and knew the sentiment was returned. 

**Looks like we made it. Look how far we've come my baby**

“Do you, Princess Azula of the Fire Nation, take this woman to be your wife?”

Azula and Ty Lee stood side by side in the middle of a large meadow which was decorated with fire lilies. Azula wore a stunning deep red gown with her hair down and flowing around her shoulders in waves. Ty Lee wore a beautiful pink gown and her hair was in a complex braided updo. 

When Ty Lee saw Azula standing with Zuko at the altar when she was given away by her father her breath caught. They were getting married. Azula was going to be her wife. 

As Azula watched Ty Lee float down the aisle she felt a tear rise to her eye, which she promptly forced down. Twenty years after they met each was giving herself to the other entirely. 

Twenty years of friendship and loving and fighting and making up. Twenty years together. 

“I do,” Azula said confidently, although that was not how she felt just hours before when Mai held her hair back as she emptied her stomach into a bucket. 

The sullen girl just stood as Azula heaved and retched from pure nerves for half an hour. When she was done Mai brought her water with a straw and touched up her makeup. The girl didn’t say anything, but she didn’t need to. Her presence was enough. 

Ty Lee stood with Suki in her dressing room and paced. She tried to sit but she couldn’t be still so the servants in the room had to walk with her to finish her hair as she made trails in the soft carpet. Suki was saying a lot of things, and none of it was registering on Ty Lee, but she needed the constant chatter. 

“Do you, Lady Ty Lee, take the Princess Azula to be your wife?”

Where would Ty Lee be without Azula? They barely had individual personalities because they had known each other almost their entire lives. They had changed each other in so many ways. 

When they were kids Azula taught Ty Lee about strength, honor and loyalty. As they grew older and especially after the war ended, Ty Lee taught Azula about empathy, affection, and kindness. 

They had exchanged ideas about resilience, perseverance and grit. As child soldiers traveling a war torn world they had formed lifelong ideologies and beliefs together. 

When Azula was sick, Ty Lee nursed her back to health. When Ty Lee was lost Azula helped her to find her place in the world. And her place was with Azula, always. 

Without Azula, Ty Lee would be nobody. Another nameless face in a matched set. 

Without Ty Lee, Azula would probably be dead or rotting in a prison somewhere. They were each other’s advocates and motivators. They pushed each other outside of their comfort zones, now in a less dangerous way. 

Sure, they’d had their rough patches. Which couples didn’t? But neither girl could imagine life without the other, because there was none for them. 

“I do,” Ty Lee said with a wide grin. 

They weren’t perfect for each other but they had become meant for each other. 

“The brides may now kiss.” 

Just like in their first kiss, Azula interlaced her fingers with Ty Lee. They leaned in and kissed. The crowd cheered but neither girl heard.

**We mighta took the long way. We knew we'd get there someday**

Azula smashed her bloody fist against the wall again and again until all of her nails were broken and she could no longer feel her fingers. 

Afterwards, she threw herself into her bed and curled up, nursing her hurt hand. That’ll make firebending in the morning so much more difficult, she thought. Can’t use two fingers to make lighting if all of your fingers are mangled.

But it didn’t matter to her. Nothing mattered anymore. Mai, her oldest friend, had chosen Zuko over her. More importantly, Ty Lee betrayed her. She stood in her way and chi blocked her. Azula. 

Then Azula had thrown her in prison. Ty Lee, the girl she knew that she loved but she couldn’t ever say. 

Taking a deep practiced breath, Azula counted down her pity party from 10 seconds. Each time that she reached zero she meant to get up and move on with her life, but she couldn’t.

Caring for people makes you weak, her father told her. He was right. How could she have become dependent on that circus freak? The perky little girl with the long braid and the bright clothes. A smart mouth, insubordinate nuisance from her very first day of school. 

Azula was a prodigy and the crown princess to the Fire Nation. Yet, she couldn’t even take pleasure in that idea because she felt like she needed to have someone praise her for it. Ty Lee always extolled her virtues and showered her with compliments. 

Ty Lee would have made a great Fire Lady, Azula thought. She shook her head hard and used her good hand to squeeze her bad one.

What was done was done. She had been wrong about the girl. She clearly didn’t love her and never had. 

Now Azula could focus on the important things. Killing her brother. Ending the war. Her ascension to power. Ty Lee was a distraction, their relationship was a farce, love is for the weak.

She tried to convince herself of these things and the next morning she conducted business as usual. She trained, she got her hair washed, she ate alone. Her face was a study in containment but behind the mask was an emptiness Azula didn’t know if she could ever fill again. 

Ty Lee lay in Mai’s arms in a cold, damp prison cell. They had been transferred out of the Boiling Rock to another high security prison in the Fire Nation. 

Mai awkwardly held Ty Lee as the girl was wracked with sobs. She tried to help by patting her on the back uncomfortably or running her fingers through the girl’s dirty, tangled hair. 

Mai couldn’t give Ty Lee what she really needed. Not even Ty Lee could do that. Only Azula could, and Azula was long gone. Even if she wasn’t, her mental state was not right to provide Ty Lee with what she really craved. 

Ty Lee did not regret saving Mai. She didn’t even regret chi blocking Azula. The abuse had come to a head. Ty Lee felt the toxicity growing in Azula’s dominating presence and she had sensed an outburst coming for quite some time. 

This did not stop her heart from shattering into a million pieces as she watched the girl she loves fall to the ground. 

Ty Lee knew that it was not Azula’s fault that she was what she was. She was made that way. Yet, the line had to be drawn. And with it, seemingly irreparable damage to Ty Lee. 

She couldn’t eat. She couldn’t sleep. She cried out day and night for Azula as Mai tried and failed to bring her solace. 

Had Azula come back in her current state, Ty Lee knew her life would be in danger. But, she was drawn to her. She couldn’t live without her. She knew Azula had good inside of her, she just had to work to bring it out. 

Ty Lee had no idea how to do that. All she could do is cry and pine and grieve. And that’s what she did. 

**They said, "I bet they'll never make it"**

Ty Lee and Azula fought with each other as passionately as they loved each other. Around their room, the late hours of the night were always filled with screams. 

Often the good kind. Sometimes not. 

Each time Ty Lee ran away sobbing and Azula slammed the door Mai and Zuko shook their heads, confident that this would be the last time. 

However, they never got to a point where they couldn’t reconcile. Azula might burn Ty Lee’s wardrobe and Ty Lee might smash in Azula’s armor, but eventually they would make up. 

After every big fight they would come to breakfast the next day hand in hand smiling. Nobody knew how they did it.

Following one particularly terrible argument, where Azula had called Ty Lee a vapid attention seeking whore, Ty Lee retreated to Mai and Zuko’s room. 

Zuko was privately convinced this was finally the end for his sister and her girlfriend. There was only so much a girl could take. Ty Lee sat crying on the floor with her knees against her chest looking at the door.

“What are you waiting for,” Zuko asked, after watching her rock gently for an hour.

“I’m waiting,” she said between sobs, “for an apology.”

Mai let out a curt and uncharacteristic laugh.

“Azula has never apologized for anything.”

Ty Lee turned to face her and glared, her bloodshot grey eyes piercing Mai’s own, taking the girl aback. 

“Azula has never apologized to YOU. I’m still waiting for my apology.” 

Mai rolled her eyes.

“I’ll believe it when I see it,” she deadpanned. 

Another hour passed and Zuko fell asleep but Mai and Ty Lee sat up, both watching the door. 

Mai was about to go to sleep when the door creaked open. 

“Ty…” a soft voice floated in. 

Ty Lee sniffed loudly enough to acknowledge her presence. The door opened further and Azula walked in. Mai noticed with a slight raise in her eyebrows that her eyes were bloodshot as well. Who knew Azula could cry?

In the 18 years, their entire lives, that Mai had known Azula she’d never seen her shed a single tear. Not when her mother died. Not when her father beat her so badly she couldn’t walk. Not even when she was in the asylum for half a year at the end of the war. 

Azula ignored the other two people in the room, despite the fact that it was their bedroom and walked quietly over to Ty Lee. She sat cross legged on the ground in front of her and reached an arm towards her girlfriend. Ty Lee flinched away from the touch so Azula just folded her hands in her lap.

She stared at her fingers and blushed, while Ty Lee stared at her expectantly. 

“I…” she started and then got quiet. The girl across from her was patient. “I’m sorry,” Azula whispered. “What I said was mean and you didn’t deserve it. You are not what I called you and I know I need to trust you. I just get scared when you have other prospects because I...” 

Ty Lee nodded. Although Azula couldn’t voice it, she knew that she was scared of her leaving her again. Ty Lee also knew that she would never do that.

“I’m sorry too,” she said. “I’m sorry for keeping that boy's number on that napkin, it was flattering to receive but I didn’t need his validation. Sometimes I take the game too far.”

Azula reached out her hand and this time Ty Lee let her tuck a stray hair behind her ear, letting her hand rest where she was cupping her chin.

“I’m working on jealousy, I promise.”

“And I’m working on not flirting with random people.”

“I love you Ty,” Azula said confidently. She’d learned how to say it with pride and meaning in the past few years, from Ty Lee.

“I love you too ‘Zula.”

Bringing her other hand to take a full hold on Ty Lee’s face, Azula pulled her in for a kiss. Then, grabbing her hand she pulled her to her feet and put her arm around her. They walked out together as Zuko and Mai watched incredulously. 

**But just look at us holding on**

“Cheers to you ‘Zula,” Ty Lee said, lifting her glass. 

“Cheers to us Ty. I wouldn’t be here without you,” she said, raising her class to complete the toast.

Ty Lee placed the hand not holding her flute of champagne over Azula’s hand. 

“I love you,” Ty Lee said. 

“Thank you for fighting for me,” Azula said.

“Thank you for fighting for us,” Ty Lee said. 

After two years of intensive therapy and a lot of apologies, Azula had slowly built back Ty Lee’s trust to the point where she was willing to give their relationship a try again.

At first Ty Lee couldn’t even be in the same room as Azula. 

“Why did you work so hard to get me out if you won’t look at me,” Azula had screamed at her as Ty Lee hid behind the door.

“I knew you were in there,” Ty Lee said, drawing Azula’s thoughts back to the moment at hand.

“Even when I didn’t,” Azula added, taking Ty Lee’s hand and gently kissing the knuckles, causing a shiver to go down the acrobat’s body. 

Azula noticed it and quickly dropped her hand.

“Sorry,” she said. 

“No,” Ty Lee said, taking Azula’s hand again and bringing it to her own lips, “that was good.” 

“Oh, okay,” Azula said, very nervous. 

They hadn’t had a proper first date the first time they were together so this was their first first date. 

Ty Lee giggled and tucked a lock of Azula’s hair behind her ear causing Azula to blush. 

“Can I kiss you,” Ty Lee asked. 

Azula looked up at her wide eyed, and nodded. 

Ty Lee leaned across the small table and pressed her lips against Azula’s. Azula kissed back and the kiss became more passionate as Azula twined her fingers into Ty Lee’s.

They pulled back to breathe and stared at each other. 

“I missed that,” Ty Lee said. 

“Me too,” Azula replied. “Again?”

Ty Lee grinned widely and captured Azula’s lips again. 

**We're still together still going strong**

“Happy Anniversary Ty,” Azula said as she rolled over in bed to look at her wife. 

Ty Lee blinked sleepily and smiled at her wife. She was still the most beautiful woman Ty Lee had ever seen. 

“Happy Anniversary ‘Zula.” 

She wove her arm around her wife’s hip and pulled her as close as she could with the baby bump in between them. 

Azula brushed Ty Lee’s stomach gently with her fingers. 

“Ten years and one and a half kids that I wouldn’t trade for anything.”

“Not even to be the Fire Lord?” Ty Lee asked teasingly. 

“Why would I want to be the Fire Lord if you aren’t the Fire Lady?” 

Ty Lee nuzzled her head into Azula’s chest. They lay in silence, taking in each other’s company for a few moments before the door slammed open. 

“Mommy, Mother, Uncle Zuko told me to come get you!” Two small girls came barreling into the room. 

Azula groaned and sat up, pulling her wife up to rest against her chest. Ty Lee sighed contentedly as Azula rubbed her shoulders. 

“Did he say why?” Azula asked. 

The bigger girl shrugged and ran to grab her mother’s arm, which she promptly began to tug. 

“Kuzumi, please. I can get up on my own,” Azula said as she dropped her legs over the side of the bed and scooped up Ty Lee in a bridal carry. Ty Lee laughed as she was unexpectedly spun around in the air. 

“Father said it was really important,” the smaller girl said. 

“Why don’t you and Izumi run back to Uncle Zuko and tell him we’re coming,” Ty Lee told her daughter. The girls nodded and ran off.

“All these years and Zuzu still can’t handle anything himself,” Azula murmured to Ty Lee, kissing her and letting her down onto her own feet. 

“Shall we,” Ty Lee said, holding out her hand. 

Azula clasped it within her own and they walked down the hallway, following the sound of voices to the shared palace kitchens. 

They walked in and were met with screams and confetti.

“Happy Anniversary,” their family screamed. 

Mai, Zuko, their daughter, Azula and Ty Lee’s daughter and General Iroh stood around a table with a large red cake.

“Thank you guys,” Ty Lee gushed. Azula smiled and wrapped her arm unconsciously around Ty Lee’s waist. 

“It is your favorite strawberry cake like the one Grammy makes,” Kuzumi said, running around with her cousin. 

Ty Lee raised an eyebrow. 

“Did we already have cake for breakfast,” she said, catching her daughter and wiping some frosting off of her nose.

Kuzumi blushed and looked down. 

“We had to try it to make sure it was perfect for you Aunty Zula,” Izumi yelled. 

She had recently learned to say their names together so instead of Aunt-tea-zula and Aunt Ty Lee they had come together to be pronounced Aunt Tyzula, which Ty Lee thought was very cute and she said as much. 

Azula just grumbled about how her only niece saw her as half of one person. 

“And what’s wrong with that,” Ty Lee asked, kissing her wife. 

“Nothing,” Azula said, displaying a rare blush. 

**You're still the one I run to**

Ty Lee sprinted down the hallway to Azula’s room. She supposed it was her room now too after they’d been living there together for a year. 

She flung the door open causing Azula to sit up suddenly in bed where she was laying, juggling a small fireball in her hand. 

“What’s going on,” Azula asked.

“I need your help,” Ty Lee said, out of breath.

“I’ll do anything,” Azula said, jumping up.

“I lost him,” Ty Lee said, panic creeping into her words. 

“Lost who,” Azula asked, confused. 

“Lucky!”

“Your parrot cat?”

“He’s missing,” Ty Lee said, breaking down.

Azula rushed forward and caught Ty Lee in one swift motion. 

“We’re going to find him,” she said, kissing the top of her head. “Where was the last place you saw him,” she asked.

“He was in the gardens and then I turned a cartwheel and he was gone.”

“Could he have flown over the walls,” Azula asked, lifting Ty Lee’s head to look up at hers. 

“No he can only fly like six feet up, he’s still a baby,” Ty Lee sobbed. 

“Then he must be in the palace somewhere,” Azula said, taking Ty Lee's hand and pulling her up. “Let’s go look.”

Together they jogged all around the palace, looking in every nook and cranny. After they had exhausted every possible place Lucky could be Ty Lee started to cry again. 

“Shh don't give up hope yet. There is still one place we didn’t look,” Azula said. 

“Where,” Ty Lee hiccuped. 

“The gardens!”

Azula dragged Ty Lee to the gardens, ignoring her protests that he couldn’t possibly be there because that was where she lost him from.

When they reached the gardens Azula went to a specific tree and started to climb.

“‘Zula! What are you doing,” Ty Lee yelled. 

Azula continued to ignore her until she reached the branch she was looking for. Lucky was sitting comfortably in his nest looking at Azula.

She extended her arm out to him and he padded over and perched on it. Azula climbed down carefully and hopped down when she was close enough to the ground.

“Lucky!” Ty Lee shouted joyfully and grabbed the parrot cat, cuddling him.

“How did you know where he was,” she asked Azula.

“I had a feeling,” she said. 

Ty Lee stopped playing with her newly found pet and looked up at Azula.

“Thank you for taking this so seriously today,” she said. “I know you think having a pet is stupid.”

“I will always take you seriously.” 

**The one that I belong to**

On her thirteenth birthday Ty Lee ran into Azula and Mai’s room crying. Azula was at her desk doing homework but she put her pen down when her friend (her secret girlfriend?) slammed open the door. 

Mai stopped throwing knives at her wall target and also looked up. 

“My life is over,” Ty Lee sobbed, throwing herself down on Azula’s bed and clutching the pillow. 

“What, did the Fire Nation run out of pink fabric,” Azula asked with a smirk, leaning back. 

“N-no,” Ty Lee stuttered, continuing to cry. 

“Did you run out of boys our age to kiss,” Mai asked, keeping her face still but reveling in the way Azula clenched her jaw and fists at the idea. 

She thought she was so clever but Mai noticed how Azula and Ty Lee acted differently around one another now. 

“N-no. Why are you guys so mean,” she cried, burying her face deeper into Azula’s pillow. 

“What is it then,” Azula said, sitting on the edge of the bed, intrigued. 

Ty Lee lifted herself up and threw her onto Azula. 

The shocked expression on Azula’s face as Ty Lee wrapped her arms around her waist was almost enough to break Mai, almost. 

Azula stiffly put her arms on Ty Lee’s back and patted it.

“My father,” Ty Lee sobbed. 

“What about your father,” Mai asked, moving closer as well. 

“My father wants to set up a betrothal for me to an old man,” Ty Lee wailed. 

“What,” Azula said angrily, smoke coming out of her nose. 

Ty Lee and Mai looked at her surprised. Empathy was not Azula’s strong suit.

“He can’t do that,” Azula said slowly. 

“He can’t?” Ty Lee asked, sniffling. 

“I think he can Azula. I was betrothed to Zuko before he was banished,” Mai said. 

Ty Lee’s lip trembled again. 

“He can’t betrothe you because you already belong to someone,” Azula said. 

“Who,” Ty Lee asked confused. 

“Me,” Azula said quietly. She suddenly got up and brushed out of the room.

Ty Lee looked at Mai who shrugged at her. 

Meanwhile Azula went directly to her father. 

“I have a small favor to ask,” she said bowing in front of him. 

“What is it, daughter,” Ozai asked. 

“Can you make it so that someone can’t be betrothed,” Azula asked. 

“You know you must get married to continue the royal bloodline,” he said. 

“It’s not me,” Azula responded. 

“Who is it,” Ozai asked, confused. Azula didn’t ask for things for other people. 

“Ty Lee,” Azula said. 

Ozai pursed his lips.

“Your acrobat friend.”

“Yes.”

“Very well, I can make it so she can’t be a part of an arranged marriage,” he said. 

Azula looked up at him and he could see the excitement in her eyes. Pathetic. 

“There are a few conditions,” Ozai said. 

“Name them,” Azula said. 

“You have to leave school immediately and train only with me,” he said. 

“Done,” Azula said. “Thank you so much father.”

“That wasn’t all.”

Azula looked at him expectantly. 

“I’m sending your friends away. The circus freak and the brooding girl,” he said. Ozai smirked as he saw her happiness crumble. Weak. 

“Mai’s father is the new governor of Omashu, effective immediately so she’s going there. The circus freak can go wherever she wants as long as it is far enough away. If she comes near the capital uninvited again I will personally set up a marriage for her, and neither of you will like that, I can guarantee it,” Ozai continued. 

He thought he could see a tear build in his daughter's eye but it must have been a trick of the light. Azula didn’t cry. 

When she broke the news to Ty Lee later that day the acrobat kissed her hard.

“It’s only for a little bit, until I’m the Fire Lord and you can be the Fire Lady,” Azula whispered. 

“I’ll always be yours and you will always be mine,” Ty Lee said, holding Azula’s face.

**You're still the one I want for life**

Azula and Ty Lee were walking down the pier one hot summer night holding hands.

“Look at that pretty boat ‘Zula,” Ty Lee said, pointing at a yacht docked up ahead. It was white with pink trimming 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a ship that wasn’t made for combat,” Ty Lee continued. 

“Let’s go see it,” Azula said, picking up the pace and pulling Ty Lee along with her. 

“Hey ‘Zula wait, that’s someone’s boat. We can’t just waltz onto it,” Ty Lee protested. 

“I’m the princess. I can waltz onto anything in this whole country,” Azula said. 

They reached the boat and looked at it up close. A lone crewmate was standing by it and he bowed his head when he saw Azula and Ty Lee. 

“Good evening Princess, Lady,” he said, greeting them in turn. 

“Do you know who’s boat this is,” Ty Lee asked. 

“It belongs to the royal family,” the man answered. 

Ty Lee’s eyes opened in shock as Azula smirked at her.

“So you’re saying I can just dance my way onto it if I wanted,” Azula asked the man.

“If you so choose Princess.”

“Great,” she said. 

She wrapped her hand around Ty Lee’s waist and grabbed her other one, intertwining their fingers.

Ty Lee giggled and rested an arm on Azula’s shoulder. 

“Shall we,” Azula whispered. Ty Lee nodded and they did the waltz up the deck and onto the boat. 

They arrived at two chairs set up innocently. 

“M’lady,” Azula said, gesturing for Ty Lee to sit down. 

“What’s going on ‘Zula,” she asked. “You’re being uncharacteristically silly,” she said. 

“Just sit down for Agni’s sake,” Azula said, taking her own seat. 

As soon as they were comfortable seated, Azula shot off a bolt of lightning and the boat turned on and began to pull out of the harbor. 

Ty Lee grabbed her hand. 

“Where are we going,” she asked. 

“You’ll see,” Azula said. 

“Welcome aboard the brand new S.S. Ty Lee,” a voice spoke over the loudspeaker.

“S. S. Ty Lee,” Ty Lee squealed, squeezing Azula’s hand excitedly causing her to chuckle.

“This boat is the first of its kind, a luxury experience rather than a combative one,” the voice continued. 

“Thank you for naming a boat after me,” Ty Lee said to Azula who leaned in and kissed her.

“Anytime,” Azula said. Ty Lee giggled.

The boat skimmed the waves until they were in the middle of what seemed like a large empty body of water. 

Then, the engines cut out, leaving Azula and Ty Lee to float in silence on the inky black sea.

“What’s going on ‘Zula,” Ty Lee asked, her heart rate rising. 

“I actually brought you out here to ask you something,” Azula said. 

Ty Lee turned to her as Azula sank down onto one knee and pulled something out of her back pocket. 

Ty Lee gasped and brought her hands to her mouth. Her eyes began to tear up. 

“Hush Ty I haven’t even said anything yet,” Azula chuckled.

Ty Lee tried to compose herself. 

“Eighteen years ago I met the most amazing, interesting, funny, beautiful girl in the world on the playground. All the years since I have spent trying to convince her, myself, and others that I am worth her time and effort. I know I’ve had my struggles but I think that I’m in the best place I’ve ever been. 

“I love you Ty Lee, will you marry me and spend the rest of your life with me,” Azula asked, opening the box to reveal a large diamond ring. 

“Yes, yes, yes,” Ty Lee said, slipping the ring onto her finger. 

Azula got up and entwined their fingers, leaning in and kissing her until they were breathless. 

As they did so, fireworks went off all around them, painting the dark night sky pink and blue.  
**You're still the one that I love**

“I didn’t think that having a kid would be quite so loud,” Azula said to Ty Lee as she finally managed to get Kuzumi to latch onto her to feed her. “I didn’t cry this much when I was a baby,” she said.

“Do you think that when you were a newborn you just sat politely and asked for the things you needed,” Ty Lee asked as they watched the baby take hungry swallows of Azula’s breast milk. 

“I didn’t ask, I demanded,” Azula said. 

“With tears? Or with screams” Ty Lee asked. 

“I did not produce either such thing,” Azula said, turning her nose up. 

Ty Lee giggled and grabbed her cheeks and chin, turning her head to kiss her.

“Of course you didn’t ‘Zula. I can’t imagine where Kuzumi picked it up then,” Ty Lee said. 

“It must have been her other mom,” Azula said with a small smile. 

“We’re moms,” Ty Lee whispered. 

“Her moms,” Azula said, indicating at the gorgeous child on her breast. She had been born after a relatively easy labor with jet black hair and piercing golden eyes. 

Ty Lee snuggled closer to Azula’s side as their daughter ate. 

“I can’t wait for her first words, her first steps, her first date…” Ty Lee said dreamily. 

“I can’t wait for her to firebend,” Azula said. 

The baby suddenly stopped eating and just looked up at her parents inquisitively. 

“Hi,” Ty Lee cooed. “We’re your moms and we love you very much. We love you more than anything in this whole, great big world.” 

Azula bounced the baby over her shoulder and began to pat her back until she burped. Ty Lee cheered when she accomplished that. 

“Are you going to applaud every little thing that she does? We don’t want to spoil her before she can even feed herself,” Azula said. 

“I just want to give her all of the praise we didn’t get,” Ty Lee said. 

Azula sighed and rocked Kuzumi until she fell asleep. Gently she lowered the baby into her cot next to their bed and fell back onto her pillow. Ty Lee fell back as well, wrapping herself around her wife.

“I love you so much ‘Zula. I’m so excited for this next chapter with you,” Ty Lee whispered. 

“Don’t speak as though it isn’t here,” Azula said, already falling asleep after two straight days being up. “When she wakes up you can start off the chapter by seeing what’s wrong with her,” she said, gathering her wife in her arms. 

Ty Lee giggled. 

“I love you too Ty,” she added. 

**The only one I dream of**

Ty Lee walked into Azula’s office to see that she was asleep at her desk, again. 

“‘Zula,” Ty Lee said, shaking her shoulder. 

“Ty,” Azula groaned, her head still in her hands.

“Come on ‘Zula, you should be sleeping in bed not in a pile of papers,” Ty Lee said.

“I love you Ty,” Azula said, turning her head. Ty Lee looked down at her and realized she was still asleep. 

Her heart melted a little. Azula was dreaming about her! This was the cutest, purest form of her wife. 

Ty Lee almost didn’t want to wake her to see what she would say next but she knew if Azula hurt her neck right now it would be Ty Lee’s headache for at least a week.

“Wake up,” she said, stroking her hair gently. “Work time is over, let’s go back to our room.”

“I can’t come right now, I’m on a date and Ty will kill me if I leave,” Azula muttered. 

“Would she now,” Ty Lee asked, bemused. 

“Mmhmm,” Azula said.

Ty Lee sighed and sat down on top of Azula’s desk next to where her head was resting. She was going to have to talk her out of the dream the hard way. 

“Where are you on a date,” she asked. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Azula shot back, sarcastic and snippy even asleep.

“I bet Ty would really love it if you woke up right now,” Ty Lee coaxed.

“You think so,” Azula replied.

“I know so,” Ty Lee said, hopeful that this would work.

“Well I love Ty,” Azula said. 

“I love you too,” Ty Lee said. 

“Ty?” Azula said, blinking her eyes open. 

“Good morning sleepy head,” Ty Lee giggled as Azula sat up and looked at her wife on top of her desk. 

“Morning?”

“No,” Ty Lee said, leaning down to kiss Azula’s forehead. “It’s still nighttime.” 

Azula nodded and stood up, still a little out of it from her impromptu nap. 

“Did you have any good dreams,” Ty Lee said, grabbing Azula’s hand. 

“One,” Azula said, intertwining their fingers together as they walked back to their room. 

“Oh?”

“It was me and you and we were at dinner,” Azula said. 

“Sounds like you want to take me out for a date night,” Ty Lee teased, giggling. 

“Ok, I will,” Azula said, turning to kiss her. “How’s tomorrow night?”

“I’m totally free!”

“Good,” Azula said. 

They made it back to their room and got ready for bed. 

When they lay down, Ty Lee rested her head on Azula’s chest. 

“Dream about me,” she whispered.

“Always,” Azula said. 

**You're still the one I kiss good night**  
Azula and Ty Lee left their grandson’s fifth birthday party thoroughly exhausted. 

The little boy had spent the entire event shrieking, running around and shooting fireballs.

Both women found it a lot harder to chase toddlers at their age. 

“Not that we’re old,” Ty Lee said, not sure who she was reassuring. 

“Of course not,” Azula said. “We’ve just aged to the point where nonsense like that just isn’t practical. Leave that to the fresher generation.”

“Exactly,” Ty Lee said as they returned to the bedroom they’d shared for almost fifty years. 

“We did a pretty good job with the girls didn’t we,” Azula said, slipping off her shoes and inhaling sharply as she sat down and massaged her sore feet. 

“Is Azula’s confidence fading in her later years,” Ty Lee teased, unwinding her signature braid that she still wore on special occasions, even though her hair was much thinner than it had once been and far grayer. 

“Never,” Azula said. “I was telling. We raised extremely adequate daughters,” she said. 

Ty Lee giggled and walked over to sit next to Azula. 

“I love when you do that, still,” Azula said, kissing her temple. 

“I love when you do that,” Ty Lee replied. 

Azula lifted her knee onto the bed and turned to face Ty Lee. She took her hands in her own and entwined their fingers. 

Though many years had passed and their respective hands had completed many many tasks both together and separately, they still fit together as well as they did from the very beginning. 

Azula leaned forward and kissed Ty Lee. 

“I love you,” Azula whispered. 

Ty Lee leaned back and smiled at her wife. Her face, her eyes, her lips, they all looked just as they used to to Ty Lee. Age did not stand a chance against Azula, at least in Ty Lee’s eyes. 

“Ready for bed?” Ty Lee asked.

Azula nodded. 

They lay down and Azula draped an arm protectively over her wife. 

Threats of usurpation were long gone and Zuko’s reign had been a peaceful and prosperous one for over half of a century but Azula still wanted to keep Ty Lee close and keep Ty Lee safe. 

She tilted her head to kiss Ty Lee’s forehead. 

“Goodnight Ty.”

“Goodnight ‘Zula.”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm just going to leave their ages at each part here in case y'all tried to trace it out. They met at 5, first kiss at 12, attempted betrothal at 13, pickup from circus and boiling rock aftermath at 14. They get back together at 16 and the parrot cat goes missing when they're 17. The fight is from when they're 18, Azula proposed at 23, they got married at 25, Ty Lee found Azula asleep at her desk when they're 27 and they had Kuzumi at 30. The 10th anniversary is at 35 and their second daughter is born at 35 as well. The grandson's bday is when they're 65 and thats the end.


End file.
